NetGuard - no-root firewall

Marcel Bokhorst, FairCode BV

In-app purchases

About this app

NetGuard is an internet security app, which offers simple and advanced ways to restrict apps' access to the internet.

Applications and addresses can individually be allowed or denied access to your Wi-Fi and/or mobile connection. Root permissions are not required.

Blocking access to the internet can help:

• reduce your data usage
• save your battery
• increase your privacy

Features:

• Simple to use
• No root required
• 100% open source
• No calling home
• No tracking or analytics
• No advertisements
• Actively developed and supported
• Android 5.1 and later supported
• IPv4/IPv6 TCP/UDP supported
• Tethering supported
• Optionally allow when screen on
• Optionally block when roaming
• Optionally block system applications
• Optionally notify when an application accesses the internet
• Optionally record network usage per application per address
• Material design theme with light and dark theme

PRO features:

• Log all outgoing traffic; search and filter access attempts; export PCAP files to analyze traffic
• Allow/block individual addresses per application
• New application notifications; configure NetGuard directly from the notification
• Display network speed graph in a status bar notification
• Select from five additional themes in both light and dark version

There is no other no-root firewall offering all these features.

If you like to test new features, you can participate in the test program: https://play.google.com/apps/testing/eu.faircode.netguard

All required permissions are described here: https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard/blob/master/FAQ.md#user-content-faq42

NetGuard uses the Android VPNService to route traffic to itself, so it can be filtered on-device instead of on a server. Only one app can use this service at the same time, which is a limitation of Android.

The full source code is available here: https://github.com/M66B/NetGuard

Ratings and reviews

This app is a lifesaver. I was losing so much mobile data into thin air, even after turning it off, and disabling every conceivable thing I could think of in settings. This app seems to do what the Android system couldn't, and totally stops the phantom background data from being used. Thank you.

This thing is awesome. Installed it on an e-ink tablet and the amount of apps that its stopped phoning home are incredible. I've set it to lockdown everything and only allow certain apps access and seems to work perfectly. Battery life doesn't seem to be affected. Worth having even for the free version. Paid to see the logs and wow, it's stopping hundreds of phone home requests every minute.

Great app, works well for offline games and other offline apps. Found one glitch in it that's turning people away. When installed for the first time, netguard blocks all mobile data traffic in apps. To fix it, open netguard app and switch blocking off and back on. (Orange dot in top left corner). This needs to be fixed by developer, at least include a text guide, so people know what to do if they encounter it.

What's new

* Decoding TLS SNI
* Android 13 and 14 compatibility
* Play store policies compliance
* Updated build tools and libraries
* Updated translations